Puppy food.?

Question

We are getting a chocolate lab puppy this weekend. What is a good food that we can feed her? I want something better than Alpo but I can't afford Eukanuba.

Do you have any suggestions?

Has anyone tried the Goodlife Recipe food?

Vanvod......
Considering I'm paying $1000 for her, if Eukenuba was my only choice than I would put the money out. I'm just asking for suggestions because there may be something just as good but not as expensive.

Answer 1

I'd go with Canidae all stages.

It is a little more expensive, (I pay $36 for 40lbs) but you will feed less of a high quality food, then you would a low quality food. So it evens out. Your dog will also be healthier, so you'll have less vet bills as well.

Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, Alpo, and anything Purina is low quality, I'm afraid the Good Life is too.

Labs are prone to hip dysplasia. By feeding an all stages food, such as Canidae as opposed to a puppy formula, you will help prevent this. At the very least his diet as a puppy won't contribute to it.

Puppy formulas cause rapid growth, rapid growth leads to future bone and joint problems.

An All stages food, promotes a more desirable slow growth. This helps prevent future bone and joint problems.

Good luck with the new pup.

Answer 2

Goodlife is not a good food... either is Eukanuba, Alpo, or any food you can buy in a Petco, Petsmart, or grocery store. Unfortunately, good dog food is not cheap. I'd say the best and most affordable out of the high quality foods in Canidae, like others have recommended. Honestly, if you cannot afford to get the dog a high-quality food, you shouldn't get one. How are you going to afford the vet bills when he gets sick from the low grade food you will end up feeding it?

Answer 3

There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on. (At this point in your dog's life, you will want to use either a puppy food or an all-life-stages food.)

Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

If you are on a tight budget, Chicken Soup brand is a very reasonably priced dog food that is still high quality. (Link to their website is further down in this post.)

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On choosing a good dog food:

Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

Answer 4

I understand how you feel about the cost. If you can afford a choc lab who will eat a lot then you should feed it good food. I've been happy with iams and Science Diet. iams has a new natural diet in the tan bag. I also cook for my dog. Chicken baked no skin cut in small chunks with brown rice and veggies. I feed half dry half my mixture. Puppies need more calories and protein than adult dogs. You should ask the seller what they have been feeding and you will have to ween the puppy from that gradualy or it will get sick. Also a new puppy needs a series of shots so you will be going to the vet. If you trust your vet go with his/her recommendations. They see thousands of dogs and how the health of the animal is. My last pom lived 15.2 years, longer than expected for a pom with an enlarged heart. I feed him iams and Science diet.

Answer 5

Everybody here is recommending a brand called Canidae. I've been told that Iams is a bit better than Purina, which is better than Alpo.

Answer 6

Eukanuba is the best but if you don't want to shell out the bucks for it I'd suggest Purina puppy chow. Purina makes high quality dog foods and has foods formulated for dogs of different ages all the way from puppy to old dogs.

Answer 7

My dog was a very picky eater. I researched on Wellness and he loves it, his coat looks very healthy now, and his energy increased. I would recommend Wellness. I pay about $70(canadian) for a 30 pound bag... and it lasts a little over 1 month

Answer 8

Purina Puppy Chow...my puppy loves it and it is not that expensive. Great stuff

Answer 9

people shouldnt get pets if they cant afford the best food. if it gets sick, will you be able to afford vet bills??